Page 3 of Lone Star Longing
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THE FUNERALS WERE HEARTBREAKING. Lacey’s father didn't want her to go. She had endured enough, he said. She wasn't healed, and had developed pneumonia from the time in the water, and was fighting off infection in the cuts on her fingers. But she wanted to be there for Austin as he buried his mother, who had risked his life to save his mom, and for Con and Britt, who were beating themselves up over not being able to save Claudia, who had been at the back of the bus. She never made it out. Neither did her friend Bridget, the daughter of the single mom who owned the diner in town, Janine Tippler.
So Lacey and Poppy stood together, arms linked, at Claudia’s funeral, for which the entire town turned out. Javi joined them, as did Sofia and their friend Ginny, who had missed the bus that day. Lacey was vaguely aware they were being photographed, the group of survivors, but she was too sad to care.
Mrs. Driscoll’s funeral was less well attended. People in town blamed her for the accident, saying she shouldn’t have driven into the water. Lacey had told the sheriff that she hadn’t, that the water was rushing so fast that the road washed out from beneath them and carried them off. She couldn't understand why the people who said such things couldn't see the small canyon that had been created in the middle of the road by the rushing water. All they had to do was go look.
All of the survivors went to Mrs. Driscoll’s funeral, even Con, whose dad was one of Mrs. Driscoll’s loudest accusers. Lacey knew it was because he’d lost his daughter and was inconsolable, but how did he think Austin felt? Lacey cried more at this service, seeing how devastated Austin was, seeing how few people would stand up for the woman who’d always been nothing but kind to Lacey, nothing but kind to anyone.
The sobs wracked her body until she couldn't stand, and finally her father came from the back of the cemetery to wrap his arm around her and guide her to the car.
She didn't get out of bed for three days, alternating between sobbing and sleeping.
She wanted her mother.
So her father sent her to Houston.
Chapter One
TWELVE YEARS LATER
LACEY DAVILA’S HEARTthundered in her chest as she sat before her computer monitor and opened Skype. The pregnancy test trembled in her hand as she logged in. Jesse would not be happy with the news. They hadn’t wanted to start a family yet, and she was taking birth control, but the last time he’d been on leave...
She had debated waiting to tell him, but she knew he’d get mad if she kept the news from him, too.
So she waited until he came on the screen, and forced a smile. She couldn't pretend to be too happy, or he’d think she’d planned this to trick him into marriage. But if she wasn't happy to see him, he would read something awful into that reaction as well.
Funny how he could frighten her with his moods from five thousand miles away.
“Hey, baby,” he said in a quiet voice, with a gentle smile. “Good to see you.”
Some of the muscles in her stomach loosened at that. He was in a good mood. For now.
She started the conversation focusing on him, what he’d been up to, because that’s what he liked. What did she have to share, living in a small town like Broken Wheel, Texas, anyway? He was the one living an adventure, deployed on the other side of the world.
Though to be honest, when he was talking about traveling to towns near the base in Germany, it didn't sound all that different than living in Broken Wheel. But she listened with an interested smile on her face until he turned the conversation to her.
